'Van Halen' book by ALEX VAN HALEN, more details revealed
06-05-2026
Genesis Publications has announced that pre-orders are now open for “Van Halen”, written and signed by Alex Van Halen. This is the official chronicle of the band, published in a limited edition of only 1,500 signed and numbered copies worldwide. The book traces the brothers’ journey from their childhood in Pasadena, California, and the band’s early days playing backyard parties, to the release and world tour of their chart-topping album 1984.
Featuring a dynamic blend of iconic photography alongside rare and never-before-seen images, and with exclusive access to Alex Van Halen‘s private archives, “Van Halen” offers a personally guided tour through the band’s legendary rise.
“Van Halen” opens the Van Halen family archive for the first time. From the brothers’ arrival in California from Holland in 1962 to backyard parties in Pasadena, their 1978 debut album and the chart-topping success of 1984, the band’s story is explored through an extraordinary collection of correspondence, tour memorabilia, album artwork, press material, musical equipment, unpublished photographs and much more.
Featuring photography from the band’s early years on the Sunset Strip, their first tours to Japan in 1978, and landmark performances including the US Festival in 1983 and 1984’s Monsters Of Rock, “Van Halen” brings together rare archival material alongside the work of celebrated photographers.
This wealth of archival material is accompanied by an original manuscript from Alex Van Halen, drawn from a series of new interviews conducted especially for this book — his most sustained and detailed reflection on the band’s formative years. Alongside Alex‘s account are archival texts from Eddie Van Halen, together with contributions from fellow musicians, friends and artists inspired by the band.
Brothers with different superpowers. Eddie revolutionized rock guitar with tone, technique, and attitude, while Alex anchored those innovations with sophisticated rudiment-based grooves, syncopated accents, and a jazz-tinged feel that still feels modern decades later. In that sense, the quip “Alex Van Halen is to drums what Eddie was to guitar” captures how both were virtuosic, stylistically singular, and essential to the band’s sound.” (Modern Drummer magazine)
Copies 1 to 350 are presented as Deluxe boxed sets, each containing a copy of “Van Halen” hand-signed by Alex Van Halen. The Deluxe boxed set also includes an archival art print of VAN HALEN in front of the collapsed Pier 48 on the Hudson River, West Village, Manhattan, NY, 1978. The print measures 11″ × 8″ and is suitable for framing.
Fully bound in black vegan leather with silver page edging, the Deluxe copies feature a patch motif from VAN HALEN‘s 1982 “Hide Your Sheep” tour and are housed in a black clamshell box featuring the VAN HALEN emblem surrounded by Alex‘s iconic burning ring design.
The Deluxe set also includes exact replicas of items from the VAN HALEN archive: a vintage silver VAN HALEN logo pin, a 1979 Van Halen Productions keychain, three replica Eddie Van Halen stage-used guitar picks, six 6″ × 4″ art postcards and a 7″ vinyl record (tracks to be announced).
Copies 351 to 1,500 are presented as Collector boxed sets, each containing a copy of “Van Halen” hand-signed by Alex Van Halen. Quarter-bound in black vegan leather with silver page edging, Collector copies feature a silver debossed VAN HALEN logo from the band’s 1978 world tour. The book is presented in a black clamshell box featuring the VAN HALEN emblem, surrounded by Alex‘s iconic burning ring design.
Each Collector boxed set includes exact replicas of items from the VAN HALEN archive: a 1979 Van Halen Productions keychain, three replica Eddie Van Halen stage-used guitar picks, six 6″ × 4″ art postcards and a 7″ vinyl record (tracks to be announced).
Alex Van Halen formed VAN HALEN with his brother, Eddie Van Halen, in 1972. Alongside David Lee Roth and Michael Anthony, they powered one of history’s most successful rock bands.
As the heartbeat of the band, Alex helped drive the band’s breakthrough era from the late 1970s through the mid-1980s — this period produced a run of multi-platinum albums including “Van Halen”, “Fair Warning” and “1984”, which featured classics such as “Runnin’ With The Devil”, “Panama” and “Jump”.
Born in Amsterdam and raised in Pasadena, California, Alex began as a classical pianist before switching to drums, this background contributed to his artistry behind the kit. He is known for using large drum kits, and his approach fully utilized these kits while complementing the band’s electric performances.
The backbone of every iteration of VAN HALEN, the brothers would rise to Californian stardom with five hard years of gigging on and around the Sunset Strip, then go on to tour with JOURNEY, Ronnie Montrose and BLACK SABBATH before becoming headliners in their own right, finally disbanding in 2020.
Together, VAN HALEN became one of the best-selling bands in history, selling over 75 million records worldwide and they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2007. Cementing their legacy as icons of rock, and Alex a major influence on generations of drummers.
Pre-order the book now from VanHalenAnthology.com.
In a recent interview with Gastão Moreira of Brazil’s Kazagastão, Alex Van Halen spoke in more detail about the album he is working on with TOTO guitarist Steve Lukather. The VAN HALEN drummer said: “Ed (late VAN HALEN guitarist and Alex‘s brother, Eddie Van Halen) and I had a lot of stuff that we made, that we made musically that we never let go. Many people have asked, what about releasing unreleased stuff? Well, we’re not gonna release it in its embryonic form because it wouldn’t make any sense. But I’ve been fortunate enough to have Steve Lukather, who was a good friend of Ed’s, and we’re working on putting a record together, but it has to be of the quality and the level of where we left it. Not just to say, ‘Hey, here’s some music that we made. If you like it, that’s great.’ No. It has to be the quality that we expect.”
Regarding what Lukather‘s role is in the making of this new album, Alex said: “I call Lukather Luke affectionately. He is the connective tissue. Luke can play anything… But because of this talent that kind of blends in with everything, he doesn’t get the recognition that I think he deserves. And I may be wrong. Maybe he is recognized the world over. He should be, because I can’t play guitar. And I can work things out on a keyboard, but it takes me too long to figure it out. And by that time, the moment is gone. I went to Steve‘s house several times and we played a piece of music and he goes, ‘Yeah, I got it. That’s it. That’s all we need.’ Then he can do all the connective tissues. He knows where to put the solo, as far as structure and organ and structure and an organization. I have my opinions and he has his, and they are just opinions. So he can facilitate things that would’ve taken me 10 times as long. And I love the guy. We’ve known him for years.”
Asked if he and Lukather are going to use some old Eddie recordings, Alex said: “Well, these are recordings that were going to be the next (VAN HALEN) record, and that were stopped because Ed didn’t live that long… The drums are already recorded. The drums, the guitar and the bass are already in there. What we didn’t have is a vocalist, and obviously the subtleties and the glue — we call it the glue or the spackle.”
As for who is playing bass on these recordings, Alex said: “Most of ’em is Wolf (Wolfgang Van Halen, Eddie‘s son and former VAN HALEN bassist), because these are recordings that were made ready for the next record.”
After Moreira brought up “Unfinished”, the last piece of music Alex and Eddie wrote together, which is included with the audiobook version of Alex‘s “Brothers” book, the drummer said: “The feedback for that song was incredible. But there was no vocals on it and it was not completed. And that was the whole point.”
He continued: “The lineage of how my brother and I did things was some of the stuff that our dad taught us were very deeply rooted, and one of his favorite songs was the ‘Unfinished’ by Schubert. And so this song was unfinished, so I figured we’d call it ‘Unfinished’ and then that’s it. We weren’t even aware that we were going to make this public at any point. This is just Ed and I working at the studio. Unbridled, unpressured, un-anything. And there are a couple of places, if you heard, where the needle goes right through the machine. (Laughs) I hope we didn’t blow up any speakers.”
Asked if the plan is to put some vocals on the songs on the album he is working on with Lukather, Alex said: “We originally had plans to — I think I can probably say without talking outta school, one of the singers who we really, really, really wanted to use for the new stuff was Paul Rodgers, and he has a relationship with Luke and we grew up on FREE and all that, but (Paul) can’t do it anymore. And it was very difficult for him to bring himself to say, ‘No, I can’t. Count me out.’ I respect that. I’m saddened and disappointed, but you know, that’s life… He knows he can’t do it — which I think is better than saying, ‘Yeah, I can do it,’ and then not be able to do it.”
As for whether he and Lukather are thinking about inviting another singer sing on the record, Alex said: “Yeah. Luke and I are looking for somebody right now.”
Asked if he has any special singers in mind for the project, Alex said: “No, because it depends on who you ask. If you ask record executives, you’re gonna get one way of looking at it. If you listen to, I call it the peanut gallery, you’re gonna get something else.
“Music is not so much about music as it is about people having a shared experience,” Alex explained. “I’m 72. We gotta find somebody in that age group who was exposed to the same musical experience that we have. Otherwise, it doesn’t have the depth.
“I can’t remember what the expression is, but there’s a difference between knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is knowing that a cucumber is a vegetable. Wisdom is knowing where to put it. (Laughs)”
After Moreira suggested LED ZEPPELIN legend Robert Plant as someone who is still very musically active, Alex said: “Robert Plant is brilliant. But if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be. And he’s out touring, doing his thing. He would’ve been an ideal choice. But nothing is etched in stone. And I really believe that the universe will work something out to where this project will come out the best it can possibly be. We have no other intent other than to have it come to fruition.”
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